A new member!

[captainjack]

As a new member I just wanted to say hi to everyone.

I've been hooked on hockey for a couple of months, unfortunately I'm struggling to get my family and friends interested in it though. As it is a complex game I can't talk hockey with them either so I'm glad to be a member of a forum.

I am quickly picking up on the rules from reading and watching the game, some things I still don't understand though and in fact while I'm on the subject I might ask a few questions right now to try to clear one or two things up:

1. I know you can only ice the puck when you're short-handed, but can you ice the puck if the other team is short-handed at the same time (i.e. both teams have 1 in the sin bin)?

2. During the game how do the players know when to come and go from the ice?

3. When play stops (for icing, offside etc) who decides which face-off circle to use to restart play?

Thanks in advance to anyone willing to answer these for me.

Finally, as I already said I'm usually on my own when I come to the Hockey so if anyone else is in the same boat and wants to meet up please get in touch. Would also be good to get to know other Blaze fans from Nuneaton, maybe even share transport?

Up the Blaze!

[eckland]

Welcome to the Blaze mate, by no means am I an expert on the rules of hockey, I am still picking things up and I have been watching it for 4 years now.

I don't know if you have access to NASN but I found I picked more things up off there, watching the NHL, with the slow motion replays and listening to the commentators.

Icing is only called if its even handed or you are on the power play.

[blaze08]

welcome captainjack!
I think that the line changes are for changes in play - the coach will have set up different lines (offensive etc) and during play depending on how the game is, so whether they need to defend or not, the players will swap. I think that if the team has a bench coach, they will tell them when to change, but the players probably know themselves.
I'm not 100% sure if that is right but that is what I have picked up from watching hockey!

[cdk]

Welcome CaptainJack
Sorry I can't help you out on any of the rules cus as a women i still don't understand 'off side' much to annoyance of my 18 yr old!!!
but welcome to the forum, it's great to have new members

[Claret & Blue Army]

Welcome Captain Jack!

Your post raises a good idea for a thread. Are there any other rulings that people don't know or would like clarification on which others can answer?

[Dave]

I hope I don't get any of the following wrong:
1) If both teams are on the same level of strength i.e: 4 on 4 or on 5 there can be icing for either team.
2) The way I see it as generally players swap at breaks of play or when the team goes onto the powerplay or penalty kill. However each player when on the bench will know who he is replacing, so say carlson could be on the ice, deschatelets would know that it is his line going on next so he is waiting for Carlson to say he is coming off. On the bench I guess the replacements keep an eye on the guy on the ice and no when that player will come off. It is all bench management which Thommo/Luc do as the coaches.
3. The lino's/ref decide this, it is usually obvious as in where the puck leaves the ice, where a player ices the puck from. Although it can be slightly unsure and the ref/lino will then make a decision.
Hope this helps.

[dave12]

Welcome new fans of the Blaze, in answer to the questions:

If you are shorthanded you should not get an icing call, unless the officials mess up (it has happened).
In the ELITE league the team who the icing is in favour of has to touch the puck and the NM must not have left his crease. Also if the puck travels through the crease to ice then it is not icing.
Also in the ELITE the team icing the puck cannot change their lines, the same players must stay on the ice. This is there to stop icing in order to change tired players who may have been under pressure.
Lines are generally expected to go out and skate hard for a 'shift' which is around 60 - 90 seconds depending on what's going on. The coach will have a system of play for the opposition and that may mean certain lines go on for certain situations. Generally lines will run 1-2-3 and so on but the Coaches will vary this according to how a line is performing and who they are likely to come up against on the ice. Its formal I guess but its also fluid, it may be that a guy is sitting a penalty which means that a line goes out late or with a player from a different line, there are too many scenarios to mention just remember its planned but fluid.
Lino's and refs decide where the face offs take place but there are some subtlety's regarding whether its in the zone or the neutral (between the blues) they generally get this right but you will sometimes see arguments with players who want the face off in the zone (if they are attacking) as they have the advantage of having all their players on side at the face off....

Don't get too confused, pick things up as you go along and most of all enjoy the spectacle..

[Dave]

Nice post above.

[captainjack]

Thanks for welcoming me everyone, and thanks for your replies to my Q's.

dave12 - the only thing I'm still not 100% clear about is what defines short handed? Are you short handed when you have less than full strength on the ice (regardless of how many players the other team has), or is the phrase used to compare you to the opposition, i.e. you are short handed when you have less players???

[Lee Francis]

It's shorthanded when you have less players on the ice than the opposition mate. For instance it's always classed as being even-strength regardless of whether it's 5 on 5, 4 on 4, or 3 on 3 (You can never have less than 3 outskaters on the ice).

Welcome to the Blaze and to the Forum.